Chapter 7

The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) established three new programs:

1. A program to collect national prison rape data. 2. A program dedicated to the dissemination of information and procedures for combating prison rape. 3. A program to assist in funding state programs.

Typically occurs in three contexts:

1. Consensual sex 2. Coercive sexual behavior 3. Sex for hire • The violence and brutality of inmates toward other inmates is expressed in sexual victimization.

Same-sex relationship model

A debatable relationship that may be typified as unstable, short-lived and explosive Kinship networks Butch and femme roles Butch = dominant or male role in relationship Femme = docile or submissive female role in relationship

What Causes Individual violence? (2)

A history of prior violence Psychological factors Prison conditions Lack of dispute-resolution mechanisms Basic survival

Total institution

A term coined to describe an institution that has total control over all aspects of those it confines.

Kruttschnitt and Gartner identify three major models of coping:

Adopted style • Women associate with other prisoners and enjoy their associations. Convict style • Involves spending time with only one or two others or alone. • Likely to have difficulty dealing with correctional officers. Isolate style • This person prefers to be alone when not locked up in cell. • Alienate themselves from other prisoners.

Prison gang structures.

Also called security threat groups, they exist in at least forty states and the federal system; often, the dominant force in inmate life. Origins in the 1960s and 1970s. Usually specialize in economic victimization. High levels of violence when gangs are in conflict with one another.

Motherhood in Prison

An estimated 2/3 of incarcerated women have children under eighteen. Women's correctional facilities are often remote, negatively impacting family ties. Family relationships are important for mental health as well as post-release success. Separation from their children can cause women to feel emptiness, helplessness, guilt, anger, and bitterness.

Prison contraband

Any unauthorized item possessed by an inmate. Introduction by visitors or staff.

Prison classification

Assess the risk and needs of inmates

Internal classification system

Assigns inmate housing and facility programs

The two most well known riots:

Attica (1971) New Mexico State Penitentiary in Santa Fe (1980)

Contemporary Male Prison Culture (2)

Changing racial patterns By the 1990s, prisons were more racially polarized than ever before. Today, more attention is being paid to the racial integration of inmates. Much more of an issue in male prisons than it is in female prisons.

Guarding the Prison

Changing role of correctional officer. Conflicting goals and expectations. Female officers in male prisons. Officers' response to problems on the job. Job enrichment: A challenge for administrators.

David A. Ward and Gene Kassebaum's classic study in 1965:

Concluded that women adapt to imprisonment by forming homosexual alliances.

External classification system

Determines the level of security for prison population

Fictive (make believe) families

Develop networks of family-like ties; this is in contrast to male prisons. Assume traditional family roles of mother, father and grandparents.

Inmate Social Code

Don't interfere with inmate interests Never rat on a con Do your own time Don't exploit fellow inmates Be tough, be a man, never back down from a fight Don't trust the "hacks" or the things they stand for

Sexual Abuse

Extensive history of sexual abuse by correctional officers towards female inmates. The most vulnerable are first time offenders, the young, mentally ill, lesbian, and transgendered. Many of these women already had a history of physical or sexual abuse. Continued extensive litigation concerning sexual mistreatment of female inmates.

Health Care Issues:

Failure to refer seriously ill inmates for treatment and delays in treatment. Lack of qualified personnel. Inadequate reproductive health care. Shackling during pregnancy. Lack of treatment for substance abuse. Lack of adequate or appropriate mental health services.

Correctional Officer Duties:

Housing unit officers Work detail supervisors Industrial shop and school officers Yard officers Perimeter security officers

Rose Giallombardo's 1966 and Esther Hefferman's 1972 studies:

Indicated a major difference between male and female prisoners. Women attempt to establish similar relationships to those of the free world Social Structure in.

What Causes Collective Violence? (1)

Inmate-balance Theory Administrative-control Theory Overcrowding Expressions of Prison Violence

The Difficulties of Adjustment

Inmates go through a variety of attitude and behavior changes. Initial treatment may seem harsh and inhuman. Learning to survive. Depression and coping skills.

Expressions of Prison Violence (2)

Inmates versus inmates- Homemade weapons Staff assaults on inmates- Most violence occurs in high-security units Self-inflicted violence- Prison suicide • The prison environment, marked by isolation and deprivation, leads to increased risk.

No-frills policies

Inmates will receive the bare minimum of food, services and programs, and medical care required by law.

Contemporary Prison Experience for Women

Is the structure changing? . Some evidence to suggest this Some report violence as common • Confinement may produce severe anxiety and anger because of separation from loved ones Unlike men, who direct their anger outward, female inmates may engage in more self-destructive acts to cope with their problems.

The Big House Era

Large, fortress-like prisons dominated corrections in the early part of the 20th century. Old "cons" informed new prisoners that the guards were in control. Convicts developed their own social roles, informal codes of behaviors, and language. The inmate code of behavior dominated the inmate culture. The process of learning and internalizing the code is termed "prisonization."

Increases in the women's prison population caused by:

Mandatory minimums Drug laws and accomplice liability . Get-tough policies

Women in Prison (2)

Many display psychological problems Women have higher rates of mental health issues than men while incarcerated. Women are more likely than men to attempt suicide while in prison. A significant number of substance abuse issues Face a high risk of exposure to HIV

Contemporary Male Prison Culture (1)

Near the end of the 20th century, prison culture took on new structure, language, and mores.

Gresham Sykes' typology of male inmate social roles:

Rats and center men - snitched out other prisoners. Gorillas and merchants - preyed upon other inmates. Wolves, punks, and fags - engaged in homosexual activity. Real men - did their time with dignity. Toughs - overtly violent. Hipsters - talked tough, but were all talk.

Advantages of classification:

Reduces institutional tension. Improves safety for staff and inmates. Avoids placing inmates in more secure and expensive environment than they need. Contains gang activity. Improves access to services for inmates with special needs.

Get-tough policies

The equality movement had the unintended consequence of eliminating much of the paternalistic effect of male chivalry.

Prisonization

The term, coined by Donald Clemmer, marks the inmate giving up his or her identity and becoming dependent on the system. • Deprivation model • Importation model • Situational model • Administrative control model Unique language or argot in prison.

Programs for Incarcerated Mothers

Women, like men, need programming that will help them with successful re-entry. Several states and other countries have innovative programs for mothers of young children. Mother and child bonding programs have had a positive impact on female inmates preparing to reenter the community.

Rise of Women's Imprisonment

• Before 1960, relatively few women were in prison. • Men are almost fourteen times more likely to be incarcerated than women. • The women's correctional population is approximately 100,000 and continues to increase.

Inmate assaults on staff over:

• Officer's command • Protest • Search • Inmate's fighting • Movement • Contraband

Expressions of Prison Violence (1)

• Riots and other major disturbances • Riots require inmate solidarity • Riots can be spontaneous or planned

Women in Prison (1)

• Typical female inmates have had a troubled family life and difficulties as juveniles. • Were at-risk children, products of broken homes and the welfare system. • Had experienced a pattern of harsh discipline and physical abuse • Many were victims of domestic violence.